President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced to an unconditional discharge Friday after being found guilty on charges of falsifying business records stemming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s years-long investigation.
The president-elect attended his sentencing virtually, after fighting to block the process all the way up to the United States Supreme Court this week. Trump sat beside his defense attorney Todd Blanche.
TRUMP FILES MOTION TO STAY ‘UNLAWFUL SENTENCING’ IN NEW YORK CASE
Trump called the case and his sentencing a “tremendous setback for the American court system.”
“This is a great embarrassment to the state of New York,” Trump said, adding that the people saw the trial firsthand, and voted “decisively” to elect him as president.
Judge Juan Merchan set Jan. 10—just ten days before he is set to be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States.
From left to right: Judge Juan Merchan, former President Donald Trump, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. (Getty Images, AP Images)
Merchan did not sentence the president-elect to prison, and instead sentenced him to an unconditional discharge, meaning there is no punishment imposed–no jail time, fines or probation. The sentence also preserves Trump’s ability to appeal the conviction.
“After careful analysis, this court determined only lawful sentence that permits entry of judgment of conviction is an unconditional discharge,” Merchan said Friday. “At this time, I impose that sentence to cover all 34 counts.”
Merchan added: “Sir, I wish you Godspeed as you assume your second term in office.”
Merchan, upon scheduling the sentencing last week, said that he was not likely to “impose any sentence of incarceration,” but rather a sentence of an “unconditional discharge,” which means there would be no punishment imposed.
Trump filed an appeal to block sentencing from moving forward with the New York State Court of Appeals. That court rejected his request.
Trump also filed an emergency motion with the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that it “immediately order a stay of pending criminal proceedings in the Supreme Court of New York County, New York.”
The high court denied the request, saying “the application for stay presented to Justice Sotomayor and by her referred to the Court is denied for, inter alia, the following reasons.”
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan…
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